Goose Island Bourbon County Cherry Rye

I received a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Cherry Rye in a trade with my friend Joel. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of bourbon, cherry, vanilla, rye, caramel, oak, alcohol, chocolate, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth and sweet with a strong cherry and vanilla front end and the solid chocolate and toasted malt base. Vanilla, oak, and a nice alcohol accompaniment with the strong whiskey flavor. The alcohol content is 13.7% ABV. As expected, this was a wonderful offering in the Bourbon County series, as the cherry and the rye whiskey flavors totally took over and made for a wonderful experience.

Goose Island Imperial IPA

Another beer I ordered at TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery 9th Anniversary Party was the Goose Island Imperial IPA. The beer pours a caramel color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, lemon, candy, and pine. The taste is bitter yet sweet with caramel and hops. Tangerine, orange, grapefruit, sugary candy, and passion fruit all arrive on the tongue and make quite a delicious brew. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This was a great Imperial IPA with tons of fruit and bitter hops. A light bit of hop oil remains on the tongue to let this beer linger, which I didn’t mind at all.

Goose Island Bourbon County Rare

I was fortunate enough to try some of the Goose Island Bourbon County Rare bottle that my friend Deuane brought over to a friends house. I’m a big fan of Pappy Van Winkle, so this beer thoroughly excited me. The beer pours a black color with a thin frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of strong bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, oak, and milk. The taste is smooth with a delicate milk chocolate flavor and some lightly toasted malts. The transition into bourbon is smooth and forgiving and it leaves alcohol burn on the finish which is quite warming. The alcohol content is 13.0% ABV. This was as smooth and amazingly delicious as I expected it to be, and if I ever see a bottle of this I will snatch it up. The chocolate flavors mixed and played very well with the smooth and delectable bourbon.

Goose Island Bramble Rye Bourbon County Stout

I cannot fully describe the excited I showed when I saw that The Lazy Boy Saloon in White Plains, NY had a bottle of Goose Island Bramble Rye Bourbon County Stout on my recent visit there. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of heavenly chocolate, raspberry, vanilla, bourbon, and blackberry. The taste is slightly fruity on a solid chocolate base. Raspberry and blackberry provide a bit of a sweetness combined with lots of vanilla before the bourbon comes out to dry out the mouth. A hint of toasted malts is left behind on the tongue to play with the fruit. The alcohol content is 12.7% ABV. This, simply put, was an amazing beer filled with so many varying flavors. The fruit accents added another dimension to the typical Bourbon County Stout, and I really was thankful for the opportunity to try it.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2011)

My buddy Matt picked up a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2011) at Wooden Keg Liquors in Hagerstown, MD and he decided to share it with us. The beer pours thick and viscous with a black color and no head at all, although some bubbles do surface. The aroma consists of deep chocolate, lots of vanilla, bourbon, oak, and molasses. The taste is big on chocolate with a big alcohol burn that has a nice bourbon flavor to it. The burn lingers for a while, but then some vanilla sweetens out the flavor. Oak and molasses peek through on the finish and round out the beer. The alcohol content is 14.5% ABV.This beer really is the epitome of bourbon barrel aged beers. It has a wonderful bourbon taste with the vanilla and oak that come along with it, but the chocolate body with it really stands up to the bully-ish characteristics of the bourbon.

Goose Island Pepe Nero

I grabbed a bottle of Goose Island Pepe Nero while I was in Denver and brought home to review it. The beer pours a black color with an extremely lofty tan head that rushes out of the glass and leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of toasted malts, bready yeast, chocolate, and oak. The taste is smooth and creamy with plenty of toasted malts. Hints of dark chocolate linger in the background with some caramel, vanilla, and oak. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. It was surprising how smooth the beer was with the toasted malt flavor. The creaminess of the beer with roasted flavor was enlightening and amazing.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout

My friend Deuane pulled out a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout while clearing some bottles out of his cellar and shared it with some friends. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, oak, and coffee. Right off the bat, there is an overwhelming flavor of bourbon, making the taste biting and dry on the tongue. Once the bourbon settles, there is plenty of chocolate, vanilla and roasted coffee grounds to sweeten up the tongue and apologize for hitting it so hard with the bourbon. There is a warming finish which reminds you of the bourbon that you just imbibed. The alcohol content is 13.0% ABV. This beer is a wonderful beer for anyone who likes bourbon (me) and the taste of fresh coffee (also me). Despite my description of the bourbon above and its intensity, it is not overpowering in anyway. It makes is presence known, hides in the shadows, and then returns for one last meet ‘n’ greet.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2008)

My buddy Tim brought a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2008 vintage) with him from New York and we popped it open to share amongst friends. The beer pours a black color with a filmy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, vanilla, and lots and lots of bourbon. The taste is smooth and velvety with both milk and dark chocolates. There is a big bourbon accent that warms the throat and a smooth vanilla finish. The after taste is dry and stings with alcohol. The alcohol content is 13.0% ABV. I get what all the hype surrounding this beer is about; it is a wonderful beer that despite the alcohol content and biting bourbon flavors, it remains to be so silky smooth.

Goose Island Demolition

I picked up bottle of Goose Island Demolition in San Diego and shipped it home to myself to review. The beer pours a yellow-gold color with a frothy white head that leaves a little lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of candied lemon, sugar, wheat grass, and weeds. The taste is soft and smooth with a sweet lemon candy flavor, wheat grass, and a light pepper bite. The finish is sweet but slightly dry with a Belgian yeast. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. Interesting fact that I read on the bottle was that this beer is best within 180 days of bottling, and this bottle was bottled on 9/21/10 and consumed on 5/11/11. However, I thought it was very well balanced with no flavors overpower the others. I would be very interested in trying a fresh bottle to discern any differences in flavors.

Goose Island Big John

As part of a beer trade with my friend Tim, I was given a bottle of Goose Island Big John. The beer pours a a black color with a frothy tan head that dissipates rather rapidly. The aroma consists of fresh sweet chocolate, toasted malts, vanilla, milk, and cocoa powder. The taste smooth and rounded with a pleasant mix of sweet milk chocolate and bitter dark chocolate. The dark chocolate comes out in the finish with a sharp bite of carbonation and alcohol, and the after taste sweetens with the taste of vanilla. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. The complexity, yet smoothness, of this beer and is striking. It is smooth and milky, yet toasted and bitey with alcohol. I was quite impressed with this beer, and it will be interesting to see if this beer remains after John urinated on that bar in Chicago.

Goose Island Pere Jacques

I got a bottle of Goose Island Pere Jacques in a beer trade with my buddy Tim. The beer pours a brown color with orange hues and a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of raisin, malts, fig, orange, and a hint of alcohol. The taste is smooth and sweet with lots of raisin, malts, fig, molasses, and sugar. The mouth feel is smooth and round that is similar to a juice. The finish brings in a little citrus orange and an earthy hop balance. The after taste is where the alcohol shows up and warms the back of the throat. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This is an excellent dubbel that provides the perfect amount of sweetness, not overdone at all, with a great citrus and earthy accent to balance everything out wonderfully.

Goose Island Night Stalker

First, I am going to apologize that there is no picture taken by me with this review. This was the final beer that I had at a small bottle share event, and apparently I forgot to snap a photo. I brought the bottle of Goose Island Night Stalker to the bottle share event courtesy of a beer trade with my friend Tim. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of coffee, sweet chocolate, and butter cream. The taste is smooth with a nice chocolate bite, butter cream, cream cheese, and coffee. The Night Stalker has a nice dry, oaky finish that rounds out the flavor. The alcohol content is 11.7% ABV. Wow, this was a great, smooth, and robust beer. The amount of flavors, especially the butter cream and cream cheese flavors made it a memorable imperial stout.

Goose Island Madame Rose

I received a bottle of Goose Island Madame Rose in a beer trade with my friend Tim. This beer was acquired prior to the A-B/InBev takeover of Goose Island. The beer pours a dark amber color with an orange-red hue and a thin, filmy white head. The aroma consists of vinegar, sour cherries, Belgian yeast, and light malts. The taste is nicely tart with a frontal presence of sour cherries and a good amount of tongue-drying vinegar. On the finish, the beer sweetens a little bit with some Belgian yeast and the sweet side of the cherries. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I liked hoe the vinegar and tart cherries in this beer were never overpowering or too tart, providing a wonderfully enjoyable sour beer. This is definitely on of my favorite sours, if not the best I have ever had.

Goose Island Matilda

As part of a beer trade with Tim Dean, I received a bottle of Goose Island Matilda. The beer pours a golden color with a lafty and frothy white head that leaves a wonderful lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, candisugar, pepper, and banana. The taste is bubbly and light on the tongue with a big Belgian yeast profile, candisugar, banana, pepper, and other spices. The finish brings out an earthy hop balance with a slightly sour lemon twist. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The Matilda is a perfect example of a Belgian ale, and I hope that Anheuser-Busch/InBev does not alter this recipe one bit. The carbonation balance in the beer is what seals the deal.

Goose Island Lolita

A bunch of us decided to split a bottle of Goose Island Lolita at Rattle N Hum Bar in New York City. This was my first Goose Island beer, and having heard some many wonderful things, I was really excited to try it. The beer pours a cherry red color with no head. The aroma consists of sour raspberry, vinegar, cherries and honey. The taste is big on sour raspberries and cherries with a bit of oak flavor mixed in and some vanilla on the finish. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This beer was better than expected and really an amazing creation. I would like to buy a case of this and keep it around, so I highly recommend it.